Prepay service-station.



E. F., H. V. & R. F. MAIN.

PR'EPAY SERVlCE STATION.

APPLICATION r1150 11,111.11, 1911.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

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F. F., H. V. &'R. F. MAIN.

PREPAY SERVICE STATION.

APPLICATION FILED mum. 1911.

1,150,139. Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

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WITNESSIES: Q A "mg/ h f/wpz v? Wat u (mm COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO" WASHINGTON D. C

To all whom it may concern:

rrn s'ra'rns rain orricn.

FRED IE. MAIN, HARLANID V. MAIN, AND RAY F. MAIN, OF CI-IIQAGO, ILLINOIS.

' Specification of Letters Fatent. i

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

Application filed March s, 1911. Serial No. 613,076.

Be it known that we, FRED F. MAIN,VHAR

LAND V. MAIN, and RAY F.,MA1N, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Prepay Service-Stations, of which the following isa specification.

Our invention relates to those devices which render service of various kinds, in which the patron prepays by means of coins or slugs. v

The principal objects of our invention are to provide simple and effective means to protect the patron and to refund the money, without making a record, if the desired service is not rendered, to provide for the collector. an absolute voucher of the'amount collected, and to furnish the ownersindisputable evidence that the correct amount is turned in by the collector. We accomplish all these desirable objects by the following described mechanism, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which numbers of reference indicate the same part in the various views.

Figure 1 is a perspective of our invention with only so much of the case showing as is necessary to indicate the position and supports of the various parts. Fig. 2 is 3 4 is the operating lever for the patron, 5

is the operating stud andis fixed inlever 4 so as to be in the plane ofthe slots and star wheel but without the circle described by the arms 3 so that it is inactive, no matter how many times the lever may be operated unless a coin be in the path of its travel.

The travel of lever' l and stud 5 is limited by I [fixed studs 6 and 7 so placed as to allow a quarter turn of the star wheel3 when a coin is in position.

8 is aprotecting' shield carriedby i to cover the receiving slot whenever the lever to the'door 19 of the coin box.

4c is not in its position of rest so that it may be impossible to drop a coin behind the stud 5, 9 is a similar shield which normally closes slot 31 to make a continuous track for the coin past refunding slot 31-. In case the desired service is not rendered the movement of 9 by means of lever 10 and solenoid 11 allows the coin to enter the refunding slot and to rollinto support 30 where the. patron 'may recover it. This movement of 9 may be automatically effected by theexhaustion of the means of service or it may be controlled'by the patron or by the owner or his agent upon his failure to perform the expected service, the coin ceeding coin, pitman- 1 1 connects this lever with the counter actuating pawl 15 bymeans of which counter wheels 16 are rotated to count the number of coins or their value, 17

is a frame carrying a short piece of inked ribbon, such as is used in typewriters, 18 is the ticket bearing serial numbers or other identification characters, 19'20 is the toggle joint used in getting the impression in printing the ticket, when actuated by connection 21attached to 28 which is fastened V The ticket feed 'mechanism is composed of pawl 23,

spring 40, adjustable collar 22, rolls 26 and ratchet wheel 25. Star wheel 3 has retaining pawl 13., I

33 isthe coin receiving slot, 34 a coin in receiving slot 33, 35 is the previous coin carried to refund position by action" of stud 5 and lever '4, 36 is the coin discharging through slot 32 to the coin box, it having first forced 12 back to position shown in dotted lines thug forcing. connection 14 and counter operating pawl 15 to position shown by dotted lines, which movement rotates counter wheels 16 to record the coin or its value. This action extends spring 38 so that when the coin 36 reaches the slot 32 and no"longer has support, 38 by contraction snaps the coin out and into the coinbox 1 and returns the lever and counter pawl to normal position.

The operation is as follows: The patron wishing to secure the service, drops the required coin into slot 33 where it enters star wheel 3. Lever l is then pulled forward to stop-7, the stud 5 engaging the coin carries it forward together with the star wheel 3' leaving the coin opposite refunding slot 31. The release of l allows spring 37 to return it to normal position. Slot shield 8, carried by l covers slot 33 whenever i is not in its position of rest so that no coin may enter the star wheel during the operation of the lever though several coins may be placed in the receiving slot 33. In this case each forward movement of the lever at carries one coin and shield 8 prevents the entrance to the path of the stud 5 or wheel 3 until the further attention need be given to this coin.

The next patron may do what he pleases with the lever without causing any action except of the lever itself. When he drops a coin in the slot 33 and pulls lever i, stud '5 engages the coin as before and carries star wheel 3 one tooth which in turn forces the previous coin against lever'12 carrying it to the position shown by dotted lines. This action carries pitman 14 and counter operating pawl 15 to the position of the dotted lines, thus rotating the counter wheels 16 to record the coin or its value. Should the service not be'rendered shield 9 which normally covers the inner part of slot 31 is moved by suitable means so as to allow the coin to pass through the refund slot into the receiver30 where it may be taken by the patron. vIn case of a vending machine the exhaustion of the magazine may hold 9 back so that no coin can be retained if the sup ply has been exhausted. In telephone service and the like, any of the present means of operating the refund may be used. Others have, by various means secured these condi tions, without making it possible to exactly fix the time of collection with reference to the counter and in this we make our principal claim of superiority for as now, the coin box is sealed so that none but the authorized collector may open it. Within the case of our device andoutside the coinbox is placed a strip of tickets the first one entering the space below the counter wheels Whose again digits are type. A section of inked ribbon, like typewriter ribbon, is held by frame 17. Toggle joint 192O when straightened forces the ticket against the ribbon and type and thus prints the counter reading when the door ofthe cash box is being closed. As the operation of closing the door continues, the toggle joint is bent in the reverse direction by connection 21, which removes the impression leaving the ticket free to feed forward. As the door reaches the closed position collar 22, feed mechanism 23, ratchet wheel 25 and rolls 26 advance the ticket so as to come tothe next printing line and to I pass the ticket through the slot so that the next collector may get it. When thenext collector opens the door to the cash box the operation of the parts are reversed and the new reading is printed on the same ticket which is pulled ofi by the collector and turned in with the collection as his voucher. lVhen he closes the door the new reading is printed and the ticket advanced as before.

We claim:

1. In a prepay service station, a coin chute having a receiving slot, a normally closed refund slot, and a discharge slot; a rotatory coin conveying element having coin re- 7 ceivingportions;-an actuating lever having coin engaging means for engaging a coin deposited 1n a coin receiving portion of the coin conveying element and. therewith ad vancmg the coin conveying element, and a counting mechanism having an actuating member lying in the path of a coin, conveyed by said coin conveying element from the refund slot to the discharge slot'and arranged to be actuatedby said coin whenever a subsequent coin is deposited in a coin receiving portion'of the coin conveying element, and acted upon by the actuating lever. 2. In a prepay service station, an arc shaped coin chute, having a receiving slot, a normally covered refund slot, and a discharge slot opening to said chute; a star wheel rotatively mounted in said chute and adapted to receive coins between its arms and capable of advancing said coins from the refund slot to the discharge slot; an oscillatory operating device having coin engaging means and movable independent of said star. wheel, said coin engaging means being capable of moving a coin inserted between the arms of the star wheel and therewith moving said star wheel; and a counting mechanism having an operating lever lying in the path of a coin passing from the refund slot to the discharge slot and arranged to be actuated thereby whenever a subsequent coin is deposited between the arms of the star wheel and is actedupon by the coin engaging means of the oscillatory operating device.

3. In a prepay service station an are shaped coin chute, having a receiving slot,

a normally closed refund slot, and a dis-' by said lever for closing the receiving slot Whenever said lever is moved through its operating stroke; means for returning said operating lever to normal position; means for uncovering said refund slot; and a counting mechanism arranged to be actuated by a coin moving from the refund slot to the discharge slot.

'4. In a prepay service station a coin chute having a receiving slot, a normally closed refund slot, and a discharge slot opening thereto; an actuating lever having a coin moving member movable in and along said chute; a rotatory coin conveying member in said chute having coin receiving portions for receiving coins deposited in the receiving slot, and movable past the refund slot and discharge slot, one of said coin receiving portions normally registering with the receiving slot, and said lever being capable of moving a coin deposited through the receiving slot, and therewith moving said coin conveying member; a counting mechanism having an actuating member lying in the path of a coin passing from the refund slot, to the discharge slot and arranged to be actuated thereby whenever a subsequent coin is deposited in a coin receiving portion of the coin conveying member and acted upon by said actuating lever.

5. In a prepayservice station a coin chute having a receiving slot, a normally closed refund slot and a discharge slot opening thereto, a star wheel rotatively mounted in said chute and arrangedto receive between its arms a coin deposited through the receiving slot, a coin actuating lever, stops for limiting movement of said lever, and a spring for yieldingly holding it in inactive position, means for uncovering said refund slot, and counting mechanism having a member lying in the path of a coin conveyed by said star wheel from the refund slot to the discharge slot. 1 V

FRED F. MAIN. HARLAND v. MAIN. RAY F. MAIN; V

Witnesses: I

C. MAIN, A. M. MAIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent:

Washington, .D. G. 

